The Return of South Florida Beer Week

South Florida Beer Week returns for its third installment beginning Saturday, January 18 and running through Saturday, January 25.—eight days of sudsy, hoppy, malty fun with the best and brightest craft brewers in the state.

Craft beer has infilatrated the market with great success. According to the Brewers Association, craft brewers sold more than 13 million barrels of beer in 2012. This growing industry has certainly grabbed a foothold in South Florida. Brewery openings—Tequesta Brewing Co. and Funky Buddha Brewery in 2010, Due South Brewing Co. in 2012 and Saltwater Brewery plus a second Funky Buddha in 2013—and festivals like the Jupiter Craft Brewers Festival, the Treasure Coast Beer Festival and the Palm Beach Craft Beer Festival have all helped spread the word of artisanal suds. Now for the third year running, South Florida Beer Week consolidates eight days of frothy brews with events ranging from Jupiter to Key West. The week begins January 18 with a kickoff party brew tour on the South Florida Brew Bus. The poshest bar crawl around, the South Florida Brew Bus is not only a safe transport but also a mobile craft beer-tasting station, with a line of specially brewed beers for riders to imbibe on while in transit. The kickoff brew tour will take patrons to Due South Brewing, Brewzzi Brewpub in Boca and the Funk Buddha Brewery.

Admission cost $60 per rider and includes a pint at each brewery, tastings along the way and some light bites at Brewzzi. Purcahse tickets here.

The impetus behind South Florida Beer Week is to celebrate all things craft beer in the area. According to Ian Salzberg, the face behind Drink Like a Local, an online community for Florida brewers and craft beer fans, this event is all about community: “Working with local breweries and retailers, South Florida Beer Week will bring Floridians a wide variety of events all focused on spreading the good word about Florida's blossoming beer scene, introducing beer lovers to local craft beer and telling the stories of Florida's Craft Brewers."

The weeklong festival is filled with tap takeovers across the tri-county area, special beer-centric dinners, pub crawls, brewery tours, samplings and tappings of specialty beers brewed just for this week. Most events take place in Palm Beach County, including the grand finale, the Jupiter Craft Brewers Festival, which wraps up the party January 25 starting at 1 p.m. The day before, the Field of Beers takes over Jupiter’s Roger Dean Stadium for a sold-out event.

On Tuesday, January 21 at 7 p.m., Due South Brewery will head to Hullabaloo in West Palm Beach for a special beer dinner. The menu has yet to be announced, but if past precedent means anything, Hullabaloo will certainly bring the flavor.

On Thursday, January 23, Grease Burger Bar in downtown West Palm will celebrate the festival with three special kegs from Due South, Cigar City and Funky Buddha from 7-10 p.m. As far as pairs made in heaven go, burgers and beer is hard to beat.

Those who did not score tickets to the Field of Beers on Friday, January 24 have a second chance to attend a beer-friendly event in Jupiter’s Abacoa. On Friday, January 24, Das Biergarten will host a dueling cask night, pitting Tequesta Brewing Co.’s Papaya-infused Gnarley Barley against Due South’s Saigon Wheat Cask (an infusion of cucumber, lime and jalapeno). Who will be crowned champion? You be the judge. The battle will rage from 6-9 p.m.